Vehicle models reborn at show

Wagoneer, Bronco revived

Detroit — Automakers are reviving hefty sportutility vehicles and trucks that hearken back to a bygone era when vehicles like the Jeep Wagoneer and Ford Bronco were synonymous with big engines and living large, and when gasoline was no obstacle to affordable driving.

Bringing back some famous vehicles known for their fuel thirst may reflect a bid to capitalize on the Donald Trump era, with an energy policy expected to bolster oil production and fuel economy regulations possibly loosening. But the CEOs of Detroit’s Big Three automakers aren’t ready to fully dive back into those good ol’ days again, saying they need more policy clarification from the next administration.

That wasn’t stopping them this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit from announcing plans to bring back truck and SUV models with nameplates that were heretofore out of favor.

Ford CEO Mark Fields revealed plans to resuscitate the Ranger midsize pickup truck and Bronco SUV for sale beginning in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

And Fiat Chrysler not only confirmed plans to bring back the Jeep Wagoneer, a four-wheel-drive SUV remembered fondly for hauling soccer teams and scout troops in its day, but said it will make a Jeep pickup truck.

Volkswagen signaled that it may revive the old Microbus, a throwback to its hippie heyday, only to this time make it a longrange electric vehicle.

The wave of new, or old, vehicles — depending on your age and your perspective — may reflect a perception that the Trump administration will curb fuel-economy standards, freeing automakers to sell more highprofit vehicles while undermining the environment by increasing carbon emissions and accelerating climate change.

But CEOs say they can’t bank on loosened policies just yet. “I need clarity,” Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters when asked about Trump. “And we are not the only ones that need clarity.”

The need for policy direction also extends to decisions about the future of Mexican manufacturing. Trump has repeatedly chided automakers for green-lighting expansions in Mexico, prompting Ford’s Fields to cancel plans last week for a $1.6 billion plant there. On Monday, Trump lauded Fiat Chrysler for plans to expand its U.S. plants and hire 2,000 new workers.

GM CEO Mary Barra told reporters Monday that the automaker, for the moment, isn’t reversing course and will continue to make vehicles where it sells them.

Policy change or not, automakers aren’t upset about the shift from cars to trucks. Pickups and SUVs are generally more profitable than cars because often they are simpler to make and sell at higher prices. For Ford, reviving Ranger and Bronco names sounds like it was an easy decision.

“The bottom line is we have these two iconic nameplates in two segments that are growing,” Fields said.